Little Shop of Horrors
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS: TIME WARP OF FUN
Frank Oz’s 1986 Little Shop of Horrors is the clichéd story of the little guy overcoming all odds to get the girl. It is a funny movie with campy songs and bright costumes, sets, and plants. The cast is a talented one with Steve Martin as the demented dentist being the standout of the ensemble.
Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) is a poor schlub who works at Mr. Mushnik’s (Vincent Gardenia) flower shop. He is infatuated with two things: plants and his fellow employee, Audrey (Ellen Greene). But, alas, Audrey has a boyfriend. So Seymour focuses his attention on his plants. When he buys an unusual plant and names it Audrey II, it starts to make things happen. When it is placed in the display window of the flower shop, business starts to boom. Seymour becomes famous and wins the attention of Audrey. This plant becomes a genie of sorts that grants all his wishes as long as he feeds it human blood. As the plant becomes bigger and Seymour becomes more successful, he starts to wonder if it is all worth it.
This film was originally done in 1960 and directed by Roger Corman. It also became an off Broadway hit in the early 80s. This film is over the top and campy. The cast all have respectable musical talent, with Ellen Greene having the pipes to make her numbers the best. And due to the numerous cameos, there are a bunch of great one liners. One such line is when Arthur Denton (Bill Murray) visits Orin Scrivello, DDS. He knows of Scrivello’s reputation as a sadist and can’t wait for him to inflict pain as he performs surgery on his mouth. Scrivello tries every which way to make his patient scream in agony but Denton just laps it up. He tells him, “It’s your professionalism that I respect”. Steve Martin as Scrivello channels a maniac Elvis Presley for his role. He is borderline scary until he breaks into song. It reminded me of Dennis Hopper’s role as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, which coincidentally came out in ’86. The difference is that Hopper’s character will give you nightmares; Martin’s will just make you laugh. The costumes are bright and colorful, especially those of the singing trio (Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, and Michelle Weeks). The true originality of the film lies within Audrey II and the voice of Levi Stubbs. Stubbs was the lead singer of The Four Tops and brings Motown to the film to give it its singing cred. He is fun, lively, and brings the plant to life.
The film was grand but I would have loved to see more of Steve Martin. I believe that a spin-off should have been done just based on his character. His scenes were by far my favorite in the film.
Little Shop of Horrors is a fun ride into the “Skid Row (Downtown)” of New York during the fifties. The musical numbers are entertaining and poke fun at themselves. The cast hams it up and shows you a good time. And it always helps to have some of the most comedic talents of our time (Bill Murray, John Candy, Christopher Guest, etc.) popping in to add a thing or two.
Report Card:
Story-B
Acting-B
Visuals-B+
Originality/Innovation-B
Enjoyability Grade–B
Overall Grade-B
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